Trussism
Further to my Truss-esque rant of yesterday, I am now trying to work out if Lynn Truss (of Eats, Shoots & Leaves fame) is a Jolly Good Thing, or a Rather Smug And Irritating Person.
Given that I occasionally make corrections to posters on the noticeboards at work, you'd have thought she was my soul sister.
But I feel that, although motivated by the same urge (if not quite the same level of ability - I would never profess to remember more than about three grammattcal rules simultaneously, and my spelling is shocking), she and I may differ somewhat in style.
I tend to be a bit embarrassed about my compulsion to amend things (apart from reports I am proof-reading, which don't count), and have to furtively sneak about to do it when nobody is looking.
She (presumably for reasons of publicity) prefers this to be a bold and overt action. Good luck to her - she has, after all, to make a living. But it still represents a point towards "smug and irritating". But the most damning evidence is on her website. Apparently, she has a house in Brighton (and one in Bloomsbury, too, darling!) but hates being woken up by seagulls. Uh oh, Lynn... the evidence is all pointing towards.........
Given that I occasionally make corrections to posters on the noticeboards at work, you'd have thought she was my soul sister.
But I feel that, although motivated by the same urge (if not quite the same level of ability - I would never profess to remember more than about three grammattcal rules simultaneously, and my spelling is shocking), she and I may differ somewhat in style.
I tend to be a bit embarrassed about my compulsion to amend things (apart from reports I am proof-reading, which don't count), and have to furtively sneak about to do it when nobody is looking.
She (presumably for reasons of publicity) prefers this to be a bold and overt action. Good luck to her - she has, after all, to make a living. But it still represents a point towards "smug and irritating". But the most damning evidence is on her website. Apparently, she has a house in Brighton (and one in Bloomsbury, too, darling!) but hates being woken up by seagulls. Uh oh, Lynn... the evidence is all pointing towards.........
posted by OboeJane at 9:29 pm
1 Comments:
Have you read her other book 'Talk to the hand' which is all about rudeness? It's also very good and had me nodding in agreement as I was reading, like some middle aged female version of Victor Meldrew! What's great about it is that it makes you realise you are not alone in you feelings of irritation and greivance!!! Likewise the BBC tv programme 'Grumpy Old Women' and the book from the series!!! and - just to put your mind at rest I don't think you're too over the top for correcting grammar and spelling on posters at work! It drives me mad when people put stuff up on the walls and it's wrong. Mrs Bullidon, my grumpy old woman English teacher from school would have had a fit!!! In the grand scheme of things I don't suppose that grammar and spelling matters in a huge way (children starving in Africa, little girls going missing on holiday etc), but in another way it really does matter. It's all about standards you see, and I hate to see our standards slipping. (Ooh I'd better go - I can feel a rant coming on!) Keep doing your secretive correcting - fly the flag for correct grammar...go girl go! (marker pens at the ready!)
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